Many aquarium enthusiasts spend a great deal of time and money attempting to decorate the underwater interior of their aquarium tanks. Conventional aquarium lighting systems use 120 volt fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs which are typically carried by a tank cover to provide overhead lighting for the aquarium. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,598. However, the bright white light generated by such lighting tends to physically disturb certain species of fishes. It also often artificially alters the true colors of the fishes and various decorative items placed within the tank.
It has been observed that underwater lighting systems tend to better illuminate the tank and its inhabitants than cover-mounted light bulbs since the light strikes the objects within the tank from a different angle. However, conventional internal (underwater) lighting systems tend to be bulky due to the necessity of isolating and insulating the electrical components to prevent harm to the living organisms within the tank. Thus, internal underwater light sources are not widely used.
It has also been noted that the appearance of the fish and aquarium accessories within a tank can be markedly enhanced by controlling the color of the light which passes through the tank. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,958 discloses a blue-red aquarium incandescent lamp which uses a titanium dioxide based material to coat an incandescent lamp to filter the green and yellow components out of white light. However, such an arrangement is not well suited for underwater applications since the light has relatively high voltage and power requirements. Thus, in the event that an underwater lighting system using such a component is not well insulated or the insulation fails, the tank's fishes and other inhabitants would be electrocuted or otherwise harmed.
Fiber optic lighting systems also have been used for underwater aquarium lighting. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,901 employs fiber optic underwater lighting assemblies, but such systems also employ bulky and unsightly electrical seal assemblies. Moreover, the fiber optic lights lack the lighting intensity and flexibility in their applications which would otherwise be desirable. See, also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,343.
Convention underwater aquarium lighting also can generate unwanted heat, have an undesirably short operating life and be poorly adaptable for decorative use in small scale underwater environments. Other underwater aquarium lighting systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,326,183, 3,292,579, 3,326,185, 3,563,204 and 4,103,322.
Therefore, there is a need for an aquarium lighting system that includes light weight underwater light sources that do not pose a risk to the tank's inhabitants and which can be used to compliment ornamental decorations within the tank. Such lighting systems should have a long operating life, be easily adapted to a variety of applications and provide significant light output.
Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide an aquarium lighting system that includes low power light sources which may be readily placed at various locations within an aquarium to accent the ornamental appearance of the tank as well as to provide some illumination.
Another objective is to provide a modular lighting system which readily allows the addition of light sources to the tank and the placements of the light sources at a wide variety of locations within the tank.
Another objective is to provide an internal aquarium lighting system that is not hazardous to the occupants of the tank.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an aquarium light system which has a long operating life, is compact, is easily installed adaptable to a wide variety of decorative objects and is relatively low in cost.